When we write about our lives,
we unearth the beauty of our stories
and transform pain into purpose.
And when we do that?
We change the world.
Are you ready to transform both your writing and your life?
introducing a VIP writing experience
Together, we’ll use a repeatable process to unpack a formative event from your life and turn it into a compelling narrative full of beauty and meaning. With expert feedback on your writing every single week, you're guaranteed to grow in your writing and story craft along the way.
Whether you're an experienced writer looking for new inspiration or just a “normal” person who knows in her bones that she has a story to tell, this course will spark new ideas, boost your confidence, and turn your past into a powerful illustration of God's grace.
Don’t let your story go untold.
You’ve been feeling that nudge for ages. You know the one. That persistent internal push to write it down, to share the hard-won truths and shimmering memories you’ve accumulated.
But it’s so much easier to put it off — until tomorrow, next month, next year. You don’t know where to start. And then you think, who would want to read it anyway?
But here’s the thing:
God has given you a unique story to tell.
It’s time to claim (co)authorship over your life.
Let me guide you to unearth the beauty of your story in a small, live, 12-week online class with targeted exercises and personalized support, including individual feedback on your writing every single week!
“Unearthing Beauty was transformational for me on many levels. Mara's teaching style, detailed notes, and insightful feedback pushed me to get out of my head and write from my heart. As I wrote, I discovered that what she says is true: when we retell our stories, we can unearth beauty in what we thought was ashes.”
- Katie K.
Why I developed this class:
Helping others to identify and articulate their stories is my greatest joy and particular talent. I've been teaching writing classes for over 15 years and editing professionally for 12. About 7 years ago I started helping high school seniors to tell college admissions officers who they are in 650 words (no pressure!). Now, I've finally figured out how to put that all together in one beautiful experience that I believe will change the world – one story at a time.
It’s time to (finally) write your story.
I’ve mined my 15+ years of professional experience as a writing teacher and editor to create an online course to give you everything you need to get going:
10+ brainstorming exercises to generate unique, compelling ideas (the most important step!)
a powerful framework for identifying the heart of your story + tips for developing that central theme
a 6-step, repeatable process for turning a formative experience into a powerful narrative
gentle coaching to help you gain fresh perspective and reveal profound insights
tried-and-true structures for conveying your story that will keep your readers riveted
tips for bringing your story to life + grammar, punctuation, and all the other nitty-gritties that make your writing shine
This will be delivered via
pre-recorded video teachings (so you can move at your own pace)
12 live sessions, 45 minutes each (recorded in case you can’t make it live)
lots of time for Q&A and interactive workshopping
PDF worksheets and reference pages
access to my slides for each session
individualized feedback on your work (I literally read every word you write!)
Let me say that again:
I literally read every single word my students write.
Unlike most writing courses where you get high-level instruction and then are left on your own to implement it, I provide individualized feedback and support every step of the way:
individual, detailed feedback on your writing after every session (12 rounds)
professional advice on what stands out about your story and how to go deeper
specific edits to refine your story and polish your prose
unlimited Q&A on your assignments via Google docs, Voxer (a voice and text app), and/or email
Between sessions, I’ll give you detailed comments on the writing you're doing for the course via a shared Google doc. These comments will ensure you are understanding the concepts and exercises as well as prompt you to go deeper in your reflections and unearth even more beauty with your words.
My students consistently say that this personal feedback exponentially increased their learning and propelled them to greater personal growth, providing unparalleled value.
“I have found your input really useful. I just keep peeling away the layers of the onion, and then I think I’ve got it, and then I peel away some more. I’m really appreciating it.”
- Sarah C.
“Getting feedback from Mara felt different than from anyone else because she has a way of asking clarifying questions that helps shape each piece in a transformative way. Mara is skilled at holding space both for the big-picture ideas and the specific details that make each sentence work. Mara doesn’t just help by recommending the best words to use. She coaches you by drawing out what it is you want to say and guides you to saying it in the most readable way.”
- Carrie B.
Course Outline
Click on the arrow to read more about each week.
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We’ll begin with an introduction to personal narrative and get our feet wet with some initial brainstorming exercises.
Topics and Assignments: Vulnerability, What Matters Most, Know Thyself, Joyful Memories
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We’ll develop awareness of the stories we believe about our lives by exploring our pasts with gentle yet targeted exercises, simultaneously generating more raw material to use in our personal narratives.
Topics and Assignments: Essence Objects, The Story of Your Soul, Challenges to Insights: Part I
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This week, we dive into how to turn our memories into compelling narratives, giving them shape and purpose.
Topics and Assignments: Challenges to Insights: Part II, The Anatomy of a Story, The Soul of Your Story, Naming Your Themes
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In preparation for writing our rough drafts, we’ll discuss how to organize your content, what to keep and what to cut, and tips for powerful writing.
Topics and Assignments: Montage Structure, Narrative Structure, Building Your Narrative
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This is the week you finally use all that great material you’ve amassed and connect the dots of your outline, creating a rough draft of your narrative.
Topics and Assignments: The Sh*tty First Draft, Showing vs Telling, Dialog Basics
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Even with a good outline, writing takes time! This week is focused on giving you that time—along with support and encouragement.
Topics and Assignments: Finish Your Rough Draft (Writing Is Hard)
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As we begin revising our drafts, we’ll explore methods for assessing the strength and focus of our stories and work on clarifying the transformation of our heroine (that’s you!).
Topics and Assignments: Reverse Outline, Assessing Your Narrative Arc, Revealing the Transformation
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With that first draft done, we’ll learn how to bring our prose to life and captivate our readers from the first sentence, all the while deepening your insights and revealing more beauty.
Topics and Assignments: The Art of Showing, Creating Vividness
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With the body of our narratives firmly in place, it’s time to work on those important first and last impressions.
Topics and Assignments: How to Begin, How to End, Crafting a Title
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While you’ll get my feedback throughout the course, this week is dedicated to getting peer feedback. You’ll flex your vulnerability muscles, find out what resonates most with others, and gain even more ideas for improvement. (Note: sharing your work is optional but highly encouraged.)
Topics and Assignments: Providing Peer Feedback, Receiving Peer Feedback
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This week we’ll address common errors and distractions I find in student writing, working on things like concision, style, and punctuation.
Topics and Assignments: Trusting Your Reader, Wordiness Red Flags, Punctuation Essentials
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Our last week is devoted to giving you whatever you need to make your piece shine. With live workshop time and another round of individual feedback, you’ll walk away with a story you’re proud of.
Topics and Assignments: Live Workshopping
A powerful story lives within each of us, waiting for the day we will bring it to life and share it with the world.
But finding the words to articulate that story – or even deciding which parts of your story to include – can be overwhelming and intimidating.
Unearthing Beauty guides you through a step-by-step process to uncover the compelling parts of your past, identify the heart of your story, and reveal its redemptive beauty in captivating, well-crafted prose.
You’ll gain a clearer sense of who you are, the conviction that your story matters, and the courage to claim authorship over your life.
"Writing is a tool of transformation . . . bringing us closer to our souls."
HILLARY CARLIP
We have all experienced hard things, ugly things, broken things. And we’ve survived. Whether we know it or not, those hardships have made us stronger. They’ve also formed us into the people we are today: made us more resilient, compassionate, and observant.
But only by writing our stories can we fully claim the transformative power of words — both for ourselves and for others.
“Mara’s writing instruction as well her insightful exercises cracked open the brokenness of my heart, bringing about many life-changing revelations. Through her thoughtful feedback and knowledgeable direction, I was enabled to write from the cracked joy of my life.”
Melodie R.
After this class, you’ll walk away with a polished draft of at least one transformational story, dozens of ideas for other compelling personal essays (or memoir chapters), detailed feedback on your writing and most importantly a deeper sense of who you are – of the story God is telling the world through your life.
Here's what past students have had to say:
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Carrie B.
“Unearthing Beauty is the most helpful thing I’ve done for developing my craft since classes for my journalism major/English minor 20 years ago.
Mara’s feedback along the way gave me the confidence I was lacking. As writers we can be so insular and it’s hard to answer the questions: “Is this working? Does this make sense to anyone but me? Does what I’m saying even matter?” Mara’s nonjudgemental nature and expert editing ability steadied my shakiness.
It was like I had an adventure guide for the journey of writing my story. Each time I’d trip and fall, she would pick me up, dust me off, and say, “You’re doing fine; keep going.” I’d be uncertain about what direction, and she’d gently help me choose my next right step.
But the most unique and impactful aspect of UB for me was in figuring out who I am and the stories that have shaped me—better than most therapy I’ve invested in. It gave me a framework for learning from past experiences and understanding how I can shape my future.”
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Katie K.
“While I love to learn and be challenged to write in new directions, I often fail to finish online courses. Unearthing Beauty was different. Mara is an excellent teacher as well as a keen-eyed editor. The course builds at such a gentle pace that you don't realize the power of her process until you stand back and admire your work. She gently encouraged me to explore a painful topic I had been avoiding. As I wrote, I discovered that what she says is true. When we retell our stories we can unearth beauty in what we thought was ashes.
As I wrote I developed empathy for people who I had cast as villains in my memory. By the time I reached the final period, I was able to see the event with new eyes and truly forgive everyone involved, including myself.
The Unearthing Beauty course was transformational for me on many levels. Mara's teaching style, detailed notes, and insightful feedback pushed me to write a better essay. UB combines instruction on craft as well as encouragement to get out of your head and write from your heart.
I highly recommend Unearthing Beauty to anyone ready to discover the transformational lessons from past experiences. Whether you ever publish the essay you create or not, this course is not to be missed.”
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Leslie K.
“Unearthing Beauty was such an enriching experience! I am a young mother, a writer, a therapist, and a person working to make sense of my past experiences—this class checked ALL of the boxes. It was a beautiful blend of writing instruction and self-exploration opportunities, packaged in a manageable and time-conscious setting. As a primarily non-fiction writer, through Unearthing Beauty I discovered a memoir that lives within me, and I can’t wait to keep writing it. That said, I think any one could benefit from this course: writers looking to grow in their personal narrative skills, people looking to write down stories for children or family members, people working on piecing together the history of their life. Time with Mara is instructive, inspiring, and encouraging. You won’t regret it! “
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Carolyn Deck
“Mara's Unearthing Beauty class was my turning point, a chapter in my life where I grew exponentially as a writer. Her guidance became a revelation, bringing joy to my creative process and unearthing facets of storytelling I never knew existed. Her teaching and feedback not only enhanced my technical writing skills but also touched the core of my storytelling, adding layers of emotion, vulnerability, and heart. Now, I stand as a successful author of a best-selling book Above The Turbulence: Your Ticket Out of Pain to Purpose. My journey is proof that Mara might just be the teacher and mentor you didn't know you needed—a guiding light on your path to literary success.”
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Nicole W.
“Mara taught us a process of discovering the themes woven throughout our lives, how to get to the heart of our own feelings, and how specific events may have affected the trajectory of our own lives. Noticing details, searching for essence objects, discovering threads of themes woven through our lives…these exercises were incredibly powerful in finding not just one story, but so many. By the end of the class, I walked away with a strong understanding of how to craft a personal essay, along with multiple ideas for my own essays and powerful resources and tools for my future writing. Because of Mara's help, I actually have confidence to dig into this memoir project fully expecting to make progress!”
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Jeanine P.
“I don’t consider myself an aspiring writer, but I have always wanted to record how God has worked in my life. The Unearthing Beauty workshop was the perfect platform for me to finally make progress toward that goal. The weekly lessons helped me organize my thoughts and ideas, and the stories seemed to flow out of my mind and onto paper. Between sessions, all I wanted to do was write! I was especially thankful for Mara’s insightful comments and gentle encouragement to go deeper and be more vulnerable.”
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Melodie R.
"As a lifelong reader and wanna-be writer, I am incredibly grateful for Mara and her Unearthing Beauty course. I’ve been writing and journaling in some form since I was seven, but I lacked direction and confidence. Mara’s writing instruction as well her insightful exercises cracked open the brokenness of my heart, bringing about many life changing revelations. Not only was my writing released, my confidence in sharing it has grown so much. I will be forever grateful that I took a chance and signed up for Unearthing Beauty."
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Jessica H.
“When I came across the Unearthing Beauty class, I was immediately interested. I was excited about the opportunity of taking a writing class where we weren't just taught about writing but applied what we were learning by writing a personal essay. Mara is knowledgeable, patient, kind, and, most importantly, honest. I appreciated her honest feedback to help me make my essay better. I highly recommend this class.“
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Elise P.
"This is an unpacking that I’m definitely not used to because I just tend to write. So it’s definitely a challenge for me to approach it this way – so thoughtfully. I’ve been in writing workshops where you’re freely writing and sharing, but I’d never been in a writing course, and I’d say that’s much more what this is. I’ve been writing for 40 or 50 years, and I’ve never unpacked in this way. It’s like, wow, this is hard, but it’s so good."
Grow as a writer.
Flourish as a person.
Unearth the beauty of your story — and of your soul — one word at a time.
FAQs
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Absolutely not. You don't even have to share your words with me if you really don't want to. However, you will be encouraged to do so, especially by the end of the course. Allowing others to bear witness to your story can be incredibly affirming and even transformational, but this will be entirely up to you. Everything you share with me is completely confidential.
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Yes! I will record all of our live sessions and share them with you via an unlisted video on Youtube. You'll be able to watch any that you miss as well as re-watch any teachings that you want to dive into more deeply.
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You do not have to have any talent or experience with writing for this class (beyond being able to express thoughts in words/basic literacy). Eloquence is optional, and linguistic ability will vary widely. Some of the students may be pursuing publication; some may be hoping simply to record precious memories for their loved ones. Remember, comparison is the thief of joy, and only YOU can tell the story God has given you.
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While my faith informs my understanding of narrative, beauty, and meaning, and while that understanding informs the way I teach this course, it is never pushy or preachy. My students come from varied spiritual backgrounds, and this diversity is welcome.
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Though I have 15+ years of experience, I'm still in the process of growing my business, so my prices are still modest. For now, my goal is to overdeliver, to blow my students away with the value they're receiving. I also believe in the transformative power of this work, so I want it to be accessible to those without oodles of disposable income.
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(Yes, I get both of those questions!) This course is an investment in yourself, both as a writer and as a person. My students joke that some of the homework feels like therapy because of the deep soul work into which they are invited. Because I keep the class so small, there is plenty of opportunity to ask questions during the live, intimate teachings, unlike classes with 30 or 50 or even hundreds of students. Think of it like a college seminar or a masterclass, plus a couple sessions of therapy thrown in (disclaimer: this is not a replacement for professional counseling!). With the Premium package, I also provide detailed, individual feedback on your writing. And if you need to pay in multiple installments, we can absolutely arrange that.
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Yes! I am happy to work with you to find a payment plan that fits your budget. I do require that all payments are complete by the end of your cohort. Click here to get in touch, and we’ll figure it out together!